You're It
by dart53
Summary: Short shot. No cliffhangers.


Stamp mill. He'd been laying there trying to figure it out and decided that the inside of his skull felt just like a stamp mill… Then the jackhammers started. He made the mistake of frowning but stopped immediately because it pulled at the scab or stitches that decorated the left side of his head and made the headache worse.

He tried to find relief in sleep…but that's when the noises added themselves to the pounding.

Purposeful steps marching up and down, heels clicking, soles thudding along. Doors opening and closing, he cringed as one slammed shut somewhere. People talking, their voices growing louder and then fading away again. The wheel on some cart off in the distance wobbling along causing its load to rattle. The unrelenting hum of a fan positioned somewhere down in the vicinity of his feet, a bent blade on it nicking the grill as it turned.

The steady stream of air washing over him from the fan brought odors along with it, some were so strong they seemed to have a physical weight that pressed down on his chest. Disinfectants. Rubbing alcohol… and some that had to fight their way through those stronger smells to make themselves known. Leather. Cigarette smoke. Hair cream,... the one Casino's mother supplied in the regular packages she sent to her son from their home in the States.

"Where are we?" he asked without opening his eyes.

There was a snort off to the left, up by the head of the bed. A chair squeaked and it's legs grated screeched along the floor as it was pulled around to sit where its occupant could make himself more comfortable. "Where d' you think?"

A bullet had clipped Garrison as they were making their getaway on the last job. It wasn't bad, just a crease. But it bled enough it looked like someone had cut his throat and it left him disoriented and confused. Actor took over like he usually did when the Warden got nailed and got them out to the pickup point where they were supposed to meet the sub with no trouble. Well, except for the trouble they had with the Lieutenant. They were carrying him by that time and he didn't like that at all. And the head wound made him goofy enough that he thought he could handle himself just fine 'thank you very much.' They turned their backs on him for a split second and he'd walked right straight into the water! He'd have kept going too, if they hadn't waded out and hauled him back. He put up a fight but between the four of them they finally managed to beach him on the gravel. He'd passed out after that and while it made it easier to schlep him out to the sub and get him loaded onboard it made it harder to believe Actor and the medical officer that looked him over once they were underway when they both said he'd be fine.

Garrison let his eyes open a crack and confirmed his suspicions by checking his surroundings through the narrow slit. The bed dipped and creaked as Casino propped his feet up on the edge of the mattress, the slight change in position caused a wave of dizziness. He closed his eyes against the light that caused his headache to spike, and the nausea that came along with the dizziness. "Damn."

Casino sat forward, alert. He knew head injures could be tricky and the Warden complexion had gone from pale to gray tinged with green. "What's wrong?"

"I seem to be spending more time in here than out in the field." A frustrated sigh was followed by a question. "Anyone else?"

"Of course not!"

That line was delivered with enough irritation that it caused Garrison to open his eyes again to squint at his east coast con. Casino was silhouetted against the window and the glare didn't help his head at all. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Jeeze! We keep haulin' you in all bleedin' and heroic…. They're startin' to look at us funny. Like we can't take care of ourselves. Like we're….like we're **_dames_** or somethin' Like we need protectin'." Casino gave a disgusted snort. "It's gettin' down right embarrassing!"

Garrison considered the man for a moment before he finally had to shut his eyes against the glare. "Alright."

"Alright?" Casino scowled at the man in the bed. "Alright, what?"

"Alright. Next time they start shooting, if someone needs to get shot, you can do it."

"Well, gee, thanks loads."

"Don't mention it."

"You know what I think? I think you'r...," the safecracker started off, but the Warden didn't care what he thought, he'd already gone back to sleep.


End file.
